Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Friday, August 15, 2025
1914 The Panama Canal was declared open to world commerce. The first ship to cross after the official opening was the cargo ship SS Ancon.
1946 Allen Dumont’s ‘Dumont Television Network’ began operations. It was the first licensed television network in America.
1970 Pat Palinkas held the ball for her place kicker husband, Steve Palinkas, on the Orlando Panthers (Atlantic Coast football league), making her the first woman to play professional American football in a league made up predominately of men.
Music History:
1969 The iconic music festival “Woodstock” took place near Bethel, New York. More than 400,000 attended the event billed as “An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music.” Tt was held on a 600-acre dairy farm near White Lake in Bethel, New York, 43 miles (70 km) southwest of Woodstock. It featured a wide variety of Iconic artists like Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Joe Cocker and many more.
Notable Birthdays today:
Actress Jennifer Lawrence 35
Actor Ben Affleck 53
Actress Debra Messing 57
Credit to:
Thisdayinmusic.com and Thisdaytrivia.com
